With the controversial OGL 1.1 update, Critical Role to pressure Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast to do the right thing with regard to their beloved property.
It’s a shame as well, since with amazing fantasy games like God of War: Ragnarok being so beloved, 5e is getting so many cool builds. These characters from a stylized Norse mythology easily fit 5e’s dynamic system. Hopefully, they can still enjoy it the way it was meant to be.
10 Thor - Vengeance Paladin 6/Hexblade Warlock 1/Storm Sorcerer 13
The mighty Thor is fantastically portrayed in God of War: Ragnarok as a boisterous, towering man of few words and even shorter patience. Start as a Goliath Vengeance Paladin for heavy armor. The Radiant damage from smites can easily be flavored as divine lightning. Vengeance is self-explanatory. Pick up the Resilient (CON) feat alongside Defense fighting style to boost your survivability and saving throws. Warhammer is obviously the weapon of choice.
After the 2nd Paladin level, dip into Hexblade so the rest of the ASIs can be dedicated to maxing out Charisma. Thor’s patron is obviously Odin. Go back to Paladin until the 6th level for Extra Attack and Aura of Protection. 7th level is when the stormy part of the build comes online. All of Storm Sorcerer’s features fit incredibly well with the flavor of a wrathful thunder god, alongside the access to lightning spells.
9 Heimdall - Bladesinger 20
Heimdall is the pretentious Aesir god of foresight. It’s important to note that Heimdall is not a fortune teller. He merely sees the immediate future. The primary trait he has in combat is being incredibly difficult to hit. Few classes are slipperier than the Wizard subclass Bladesinger. Start as a V.Human Bladesinger. The flavor is free, so just say it was Heimdall’s preferred form. V. Human is important because this is where they get the Alert feat.
Heimdall can’t be surprised, and he always acts first. Alert fits that to a tee. To further flavor his foresight, pick up the Lucky feat on the 4th level, to reroll attacks made against Heimdall. From there, max out Intelligence on further ASI. For flavorful spells, pick up Shield, Shadow Blade, Spirit Shroud, and Booming Blade.
8 Freya - Fey Ranger 3/Dreams Druid 17
Freya is the Vanir goddess of beauty, magic, and war. Start as an Eladrin Fey Wanderer Ranger. Otherworldly Glamour perfectly evokes her divine beauty. Archery fighting style synergizes with Dreadful Strikes to reflect her skill with a bow. Favored Enemies would be celestials and undead (Aesir and Draugr). After the 3rd Ranger level, go all the way with Dreams Druid. Freya’s abode is a place of sanctuary for the heroes between realms, and that’s exactly what Hearth of Moonlight and Shadow is.
Balm of the Summer Court reflects her healing magic, Hidden Paths is her traversing between realms, and Walker in Dreams is how she returns to her sanctuary from any place in the Nine Realms. For feats, make sure to pick up Elven Accuracy to further enhance her archery skills. Afterward, max out Wisdom on future ASIs to improve spellcasting.
7 Freyr - Swords Bard 20
Freyr is the leader of the Vanir rebellion in the absence of her sister. While he isn’t as magically gifted as her sister, he proves himself an amicable and effective warrior. An Eladrin Swords Bard is the perfect class for Freyr. Bardic Inspiration is flavored by his leadership abilities. The Blade Flourish would showcase his skill with swords, as seen in the game.
Pick up the Inspiring Leader feat, as Freyr excels at keeping his fellow Vanir in good spirits. Even in the midst of Ragnarok itself, he finds time to lighten the mood. From there, max out Charisma to get the most out of all the Bard features, with Dexterity as a second priority. For Ingrid, his sentient sword, make sure to pick up Spiritual Weapon from the Bard’s Magical Secrets feature.
6 Hildisvíni - Moon Druid 20
Hildisvini is noted by Freyja to be the “last of his kind” and that he can “change into anything”. Based on that information, it’s clear that Hildisvini is a perfect fit for a pure Moon Druid. Start as a Firbolg Moon Druid. Their magics and attunement to nature fit Hildisvini’s character to a tee, as well as his more powerful build. Pick up the Resilient (CON) feat because it is essential for the Moon Druid playstyle.
Afterward, use ASI to max out Wisdom, then Constitution. The strategy for Moon Druids is simple yet effective. Cast a powerful concentration spell such as Entangle, then Wild Shape. With Moon Druid’s huge HP pool and proficiency in Constitution, it will be very hard for them to break their concentration. , Hildisvini isn’t limited to a boar, he was simply cursed to be before Ragnarok.
5 Angrboda - Rune Knight 20
Angrboda is the only other friendly giant (that isn’t a giant snake at least) that Atreus meets during his travels. Angrboda has a fascination with runes and the history of her people, the Jotnar. The perfect class for her is Rune Knight. Giant magic manifests itself in Ragnarok as paints. Runecraft fits like a glove for that mechanically.
Despite being a Jotnar, she isn’t one of the “big ones” yet, so it’s reasonable to start out as a V.Human Rune Knight. Rune Knight will turn her giant soon enough. For the feat, pick up Fey Touched, since she does seem to like teleporting to mess with Atreus. From there, focus on maxing out Dexterity and Wisdom. For runes, the only must-have is Storm Rune, because this reflects the Jotnar’s divination abilities.
4 Sigrun - Vengeance Paladin 19/Hexblade 1
This build could be applied to any of the Valkyries, but respect for the true queen must be given. Sigrun is one of the hardest boss fights in the original game, a master of one-on-one combat. Vengeance Paladin covers Valkyrie’s oaths and powers wonderfully in that regard. Start as a Winged Tiefling Vengeance Paladin, since no Valkyrie is complete without her wings.
Dip into Hexblade so Sigrun can use Charisma for her attacks. Go back to full Vengeance Paladin and take the Polearm Master feat. Flavor a halberd as a scythe. From there, max out Charisma first before taking Resilient (CON) as the last feat for extra toughness. Max out Constitution with the last ASIs. Now, Sigrun is an avenging angel that excels at one-on-one combat.
3 Odin - Rogue 2/Lore Bard 18
Many would assume that Odin’s a wizard, but he’s actually far more of a bard. His magic is all from the study (and stealing) of magical artifacts and tomes. Lore Bard fits that flavor to a tee, down to his penchant for confusing foes with his tactical wit. Before that though, dip into Rogue for the extra Expertise and Cunning Action. Few are more cunning or knowledgeable than the Allfather.
For the whopping three Expertise that Odin gets, pick Persuasion, Deception, and Insight. Additionally, pick up the Actor feat, since he likes to hide his true intentions that much. From there, max out Charisma then Dexterity. As for Magical Secrets, make sure to pick up Find Familiar for Odin’s “raven”. Other good spells to pick up would be Misty Step and Destructive Wave.
2 Atreus - Moon Druid 6/Hunter Ranger 14
Atreus is starting to dig deep into his Jotnar powers, but they’re not quite there yet. This is why full Moon Druid wouldn’t make much sense for Atreus. Start as a V.Human Hunter Ranger to gain longbow and shortsword proficiency. Pick Archery as the Fighting Style. On 2nd level, take Moon Druid all the way to level 6. This is important as it gets Atreus to CR 2 for more powerful Shapechange options.
After the 6th Moon Druid level, switch back over to Hunter Ranger. For feats, pick up Mobile, as Atreus has proven himself incredibly agile due to his size and lean physique. Max out Dexterity first on ASIs then Wisdom. On Hunter Ranger features, pick up Colossus Slayer, Multiattack Defense, and Volley.
1 Kratos - Zealot Barbarian 20
Kratos has two primary traits that make him such an effective warrior. First, his unyielding Spartan rage wreaks havoc on his enemies. Second, the complete and utter refusal to die despite all the odds against him. Zealot barbarian fits the divine fervor that Kratos brings to the battlefield. Start as a Goliath Zealot Barbarian, befitting the massive stature and power of Kratos.
Pick up the Tavern Brawler feat to represent Kratos’ brutish fighting style. It works as Spartan Rage flavor, but it’s the grapple that’s great here. With the advantage of raging alongside the Goliath physique, few things can outmuscle Kratos. Max out Strength for damage, then Dexterity to get the most out of Danger Sense. Rage Beyond Death is an awesome feature that really makes this build feel like a fallen God of War.
